


Growing Distances

by gunsforhands



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Claustrophobia, College, M/M, Nightmares, Really Bad Puns, Sickness, Workaholic, art students, guy hange, idk what to put here without giving away the plot, insomnia i guess, slight PTSD, sympathy for original name spellings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-03
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-21 17:09:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1557869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gunsforhands/pseuds/gunsforhands
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren Jaeger lives in flat 12B. He works part time at a cafe and spends the rest of his time at college or studying. He's as happy as he can be, with the stress of school but he always feels lonesome at night for reasons he can't fathom.<br/>Levi Ackerman lives in flat 8C. He's a workaholic, spending twelve hours at work, five doing work at home, and then splitting the remaining seven hours between sleeps and cleaning. He's not happy in the slightest, but he's content with what he has so he doesn't care for anything else.<br/>A chance meeting in a lift that stops give them more than enough time to introduce themselves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, the reason why this story is set in London since there's really no reason for it to be, is because my parents are mad that I use British spellings and words and yelled at me for that reason, so here we go. And since there are Americans in this fandom, I will clear up some of the terminology (used in this chapter):
> 
> Flat - Apartment  
> Lift - Elevator  
> Tube - Subway
> 
> (Also, the date format is day/month/year just to tell you beforehand.) (And tbh, I don't know why I decided Eren will be an art student bc he always is.)

When Eren wakes up that morning, he's expecting his day to go like any other. To wake up, get dressed, eat, go to class, get to work after three then come home and stay up until three in the morning. But his expectations were not met.

 

To start at the beginning of his day, he wakes up, takes a shower while brushing his teeth simultaneously. It's not a habit many are fond of developing, but for a college student who has a penchant for waking up thirty minutes later than he should, it's needed. The only problem he had in the very beginning was keeping shampoo out of his mouth, but he resolved that easily. Once he had washed his hair, and spat out the minty substance in his mouth, he stepped out of the tile room and wrapped a towel around his waist. The sudden temperature change made him shiver, but he got used to it quickly.

 

Back in his room, he dressed in jeans and a gray shirt, carding his fingers through his still-damp hair to work out any tangles before slipping on his shoes and exiting the flat. He pressed the button for the lift, waiting patiently for it to come down. When it did, he recognized some of its occupants. He saw Petra Ral, the woman (though not much older than him) who lived right above him. Next to her was her boyfriend, Oluo Bozado. He stared for a second before flicking his eyes to the short man that he didn't know. From his quick glance, he saw nothing special about the guy. He was staring impassively at the lift doors which, when opened, he briskly walked through. Eren bid Petra and her boyfriend a good morning before walking as well, though towards the tube.

 

On the train he did what he always did: people watch. As an art student, he always stared at people at tried to imprint their figures into his mind if they're interesting enough. And if he can remember, he'd draw them later on. The ride ended fairly quickly, and he stopped his calculating gaze on a young woman holding her daughter and exited the train. Even if there were open seats, he never sat down on them. He couldn't decipher if it was a habit picked up from being a gentleman or just wanting to get out quickly.

 

He still had to walk from the station to campus, but it was done fairly quickly, especially since his friend Marco started to walk with him. Marco was an artist as well, but he specialized in pastels while Eren did whatever. "Slept in again?" The taller boy asked, his facing displaying a smile. Eren groaned and nodded his head; he had missed his first lecture completely while Marco was just getting there in time for his first.

 

"I don't understand why they feel the need to schedule classes before eight; it's fucking treason." His voice trailed off into a yawn at the end, showcasing how tired he was. He had only gotten three hours of sleep, after getting home at nine and staying up to do his homework and talk to his sister, Mikasa. Well, his adopted sister, but he never really cared to call her that. She was practically related by blood anyways.

 

"I understand. Last semester I had a class at seven on the dot. And the professor was a tight ass whenever we missed it." Eren groaned in sympathy for his friend, not even bearing to imagine the thought.

 

They parted ways on campus, and Eren left for his class called History of Art. They were doing a unit on Artists of the Renaissance, and though he was happy it was his favourite period in history, period, it was boring to him. It might've been more interesting if his professor didn't have such a monotonous voice, but he did, and it almost put the boy to sleep most days. He stepped into the lecture hall and took his place beside Reiner Braun, a big buff guy who was into sculpting. Reiner offered him a half-hearted grin before promptly resting his head in his arms and most likely falling asleep (Eren would've been certain he was, if it wasn't for the missing snores and three cups of coffee on the desk). When he gave up on getting a response out of his friend, the professor walked in at that moment and began to speak.

 

For the entire class, Eren felt as if he was In Professor Binn's class from Harry Potter, remembering how everyone seemed to have fallen asleep in that class. And the two were titled the same, one being History of Art and the other being History of Magic. Though, his teacher wasn't a thousand-year-old ghost who floated through the wall at the beginning of every class so that was a difference.

When it was over, he sprang out of his seat, pushed Reiner so hard he fell over and sprinted out of the room before the buff blond could figure out what happened. He went through the rest of his classes in the same manner, until it was three and he was finished for the day. He supposed it was his fault for having such an early class so he could leave early, but he always pushed that thought away whenever it entered his head. Which it did at least five times a day. Eren wasn't one for taking responsibility of his actions.

 

He walked to his job, it being at a cafe that was walking distance from his school. His boss, the ever-so-eccentric Hange Zoe, was enthusiastic about everything he wanted to do in life. And just plain enthusiastic. So it really didn't surprise Eren when he threw himself onto the younger boy, squeezing him tightly. Then he stepped back and the younger boy was shocked at the hairstyle Hange was sporting. Usually he kept it pulled back in a ponytail, but today he let it loose. Along with his glasses, he looked like a girl (he had been mistaken as one before, a story he told every employee).

"What's down with the hair?" He heard himself talking and cringed at the pun he didn't even mean to do.

 

Hange just laughed, twisting a strand around his fingers. "Just wanted to do something different today. After all, it is my half-birthday!" Another thing about his boss: he was always throwing parties or celebrating something. Most times it did even make sense, like one time he celebrated the anniversary of the invention of the light bulb (though they were all thankful, his coworkers didn't feel the need to commemorate that day).

"Happy twenty-eighth-and-a-half birthday, then," Eren said. Hange smiled before turning serious and telling him to get ready for his shift. Eren just shook his head and put on his apron, resigning himself to work for the next six hours.

 

He got off at six, with a slice of cake and a large coffee stain on his shirt, though he was thankful he had brought a jacket. Zipping it up to cover the brown splotch, he walked towards the tube and repeated his actions from over twelve hours prior.

 

Once out of the station and on his street, he hurried up a little bit, remembering the load of homework he needed to complete (and not only tonight's; as a procrastinator, he had day's of homework to finish). He entered the complex his flat was in and headed for the lift. He noticed that in front of him was the short man from the elevator this morning. He didn't think anymore on the matter, since the doors had opened and both stepped inside. He let the man press the button for his floor before he touched his. It only took thirty seconds for it to get onto the second floor, Eren's floor, but it came to an abrupt halt ten seconds in. The lights flickered before turning off entirely, plunging the two into darkness.

 

"Fuck," he heard the man curse. "Shitty job at fixing this thing," he muttered at no one in particular. Thinking that it probably has happened before, so he didn't need to worry, he decided not to do anything drastic. Apparently he had a problem at that, his two childhood friends had pointed out. But he didn't seem to have control over his actions as his current situation set in.

As a child, he had been locked in a toy chest by accident for a few hours. He was traumatised, being only four at the time and already having problems with being alone. And thus he developed a case of claustrophobia that was only triggered by small, dark places. Which sucked, because that's the situation he was in.

 

"Fuck," he hissed, closing his eyes and trying to think of something happy. He didn't have these bouts very often; but when they did happen, it's like a tornado formed in his mind. As he searched for a memory that calmed him, he saw red. Opening his eyes, he noticed that the man had turned on the flashlight on his phone and was shining it at him.

"What's wrong with you, brat?" He asked, clearly having no tact. Eren shook his head.

 

"I might have claustrophobia," he admitted, to a pure stranger.

 

The man cocked an eyebrow, asking, "really?" He nodded, and the man sighed. "We might be here in awhile; last time this happen it lasted for thirty minutes and I was late for my meeting."

He nodded, closing his eyes and leaning his head back as he tried to conjure up happy memories. The only ones that seemed to come to mind were the ones of him in the toy box, and of the time a guy named Jean locked him in a janitor's tiny closet for three hours (he claimed it was an accident, but few believed him).

 

"That's not working," said the man from the other side of the small compartment. Eren opened his eyes again, looking at the man. He was gazing down at his phone, fingers tapping out a message for something or another. He seemed enraptured with his phone, so he took his time to actually study the man. He had pale skin, and it didn't help that his dark suit made the contrast that much greater. He had black hair, cut in an undercut and steely gray eyes that her currently trained on his phone. The light spilling from said object shined some light on his build, and through the suit jacket he could the man had strong arms for someone of his lithe build.

Eren thought he would be a beautiful model.

 

After a few moments, the man looked up from his phone, turning it off. They were plunged into darkness once more and the boy started to curse the man for doing what he obviously shouldn't do. And then, he says, "come here." After a moment of hesitation, the boy slowly starts to edge his way over to the man - or at least, where he hopes he is. After a few seconds, he hits a knee so he stops there. He wasn't expecting anything to really happen, much less an arm to reach around him and pull him closer.

 

And suddenly, Eren is leaning against a stranger's shoulder in a dark lift, though he's taller than the man.

 

"Um," he starts to say, but the man cuts him off.

 

"Shut up, shitty brat. Apparently when someone is having a panic attack or whatever, it calms them when someone is talking and human contact. So here I am, and I'm talking."

 

Eren had just one question. "Did you just search what to do when someone is having an attack?"

 

There was silence for a moment before the man's voice came back. "That's none of your concern. And if you keep talking I won't fucking do anything." He stayed quiet and the man continued. "Well, for starters, my name's Levi Ackerman. I live in the floor above in flat 8C. I go to work at eight and come back after eight." And he continued on, saying mindless information until Eren was half-asleep and was barely listening. It was quiet for some time before the lights flickered back on and he had to blink at the sudden brightness.

 

"Levi?" He looked down and noticed the man had his head on his shoulder, eyes closed and breathing even. Smiling to himself, he wrapped an arm around the man's waist and stood him up, before picking him up bridal style and then his briefcase in the other. He pressed the button for the third floor and waited patiently for the doors to open. When they did, he walked down the hall to the flat and rummage around in the man's pockets for the keys. He found them in a jacket pocket, and he unlocked the door. All flats in the building have the same layout, so he had no problem getting the man to the master bedroom. He marvelled at the cleanliness of the place as he put the man on his bed, taking his shoes and jacket off.

 

Placing the briefcase on a table in the living room, Eren suddenly had a gust of boldness and pulled a piece of paper and pen from his pocket. He wrote down a message before leaving the apartment. He was thankful that you could lock the doors from the inside without leaving, which he did (since he lift the keys on the table). He walked back to his flat and settled in for a long night of doing assignments, and almost killing himself over them.

 

When Levi woke up at seven the next morning, he was confused to find himself in his bed and not in the lift like he was last. Realising that he was in his bedroom, he figured out that the boy from the lift. He pulled himself out of bed, frowning at the wrinkles in his slacks, and went into his living room. He saw his briefcase, his case and a note on the coffee table in there. Looking at the note, he saw it was written by someone with messy handwriting.

 

Thank you for last night, Levi. Sounds like a sexual innuendo, but oh well. Anyways, here's my number, because you're somewhat nice to be around.

Eren (XXX-XXXX)

 

He rolled his eyes, but decided to enter the number into his phone anyways.

  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter as an excuse to use the phrase "pint of lager."

Eren never really understood why he, in a moment of bravery, left his number for Levi. In all honesty, the man intimidated him despite his small stature. And as an art student, he was pretty sure that the man who lived on the floor above him had no interest in calling him. So maybe it was for naught, but he really can't know for sure.

 

His plans for the day revolved around being lazy and then going clubbing later on. His friends wanted to go to a club to celebrate the fact that Marco had finally gotten laid, but half of them just wanted to get pissed so it was a win in everyone's book.

So for the first part of the day (it was a Friday and he didn't have any classes), he essentially sat on his ass and did nothing besides watching things on the telly and gorging himself with junk food. Then, when it was five, he decided it was time to get ready since they had agreed to meet at six at the club. He sat up from his comfortable position on his couch, brushing crumbs from the crisps he had eaten earlier off of his hoodie and headed to his bedroom to change. Since they weren't going anywhere special, he opted for a pair of plain black jeans and a black shirt. He then pulled a black jumper on over it (all the while realizing that the majority of his wardrobe consisted of black apparel). He slipped on his bright red Converse and grabbed his keys, walking out of the door.

He didn't live far from the club they were going to, a rather low-key one named Colossal (named for its large glasses) so he just walked. When he arrived, he saw that two of his friends had just arrived, Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Fubar. The two were going out, though they tried to hide it from the rest of their friend, but it was extremely obvious. Eren gave the two a wave, and stopped so the two could catch up to them. Though he wasn't short, the two were taller than them by some inches, and Bert even taller than Reiner.

"Hey, Jaeger," Reiner greeted, giving him one of those award-winning smiles he had. Bert just mumbled a greeting, looking anxious at the idea of having to go inside. It was already crowded, probably since it was a Friday night, and the tall boy never did well with large crowds. The blond boy beside him immediately grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, though his gaze was still on their friend. He smiled to himself, returning the gesture before detaching their hands. As the blond boy and the brunet conversed, more of their friends showed, Annie with Connie and Sasha in tow. Marco was going to meet them later on, after he prepped his new boyfriend for the friends of the freckled boy he was going to meet.

The six all walked inside, already feeling elated from the feeling of the bass under their feet and the smell of alcohol and perspiration in the air. Annie marched towards the bar, ordering for herself before disappearing in the crowd. The rest wouldn't see her for a good while, asides from glimpses of her dancing with strangers. As his friends ordered, Eren found himself looking at the bartender. "Just a pint of lager," he said, and the man nodded, getting him his drink. As he slowly sipped on it, he looked around the crowded place, trying to see if he could find any familiar faces.

It was central London,. after all, so he highly doubted that he would know anyone else her, especially since he had moved her only ten years ago, when he was nine. And in those ten years, all he's done and created a close-knit group of friends, not trying to make any more. Which worked for him, because he sometimes came off as standoffish to others. As he slowly made the liquid in his glass disappear, he noticed a familiar face come in with another one behind him. It was Marco, with his new boyfriend, the star of the night.

Tapping on Reiner's shoulder, he pointed to the boy making his way across the crowded room. Reiner crowed and set his drink down, knowing he'd never be able to finish it. "Marco!" He cried, grinning wildly as the black-haired boy blushed. He came to stand in front of them, moving to the side so his friend could stand beside him.

"Hey guys," he said. "This is Jean." He gestured to the boy beside him  then ducked his head as he knew that a barrage of questions were about to be thrown towards the boy.

_"Why do you like Marco?"_

_"How old are you?"_

_Did you bottom or top?"_

_"Do you really like Marco?"_

_"Answer truthfully or we'll castrate you."_

Those were the only ones Jean could hear over the loud music. He knew he was blushing from the way that his ears grew hot and his cheeks warm. "Uh," he began, not sure where to start. "I'm twenty, I like his personality, yes I really like him and there's no need for that."

Of course Reiner pointed out the fact that he avoided the question whether he topped or bottomed. When asked again, his face turned red as he mumbled out, "bottomed." They could barely hear it, but Eren and Reiner did and they yelled out words to Marco, who was flushing all the while. After deciding that they've done enough damage to the two, they returned to their drinks, the blond man ordering another one lest his first one had been spiked (they've all experienced it at one point or another). Eren had finished his drink and asked for another, before finishing that one and heading for the dance floor.

He took on step in before he was moving with the rest of the crowd, not giving two shits about what was happening. He was drunk, he was having fun, he was perfectly content with what was going on at the moment. After some time, he stumbled out of the crowd, asking for another drink before spotting his friends in the crowd. Bert and Reiner were kissing in the corner, Annie's blond hair could be seen here and there, and Jean and Marco were in a corner booth, both nursing their own drinks.

He smirked to himself and decided that he had enough for one night. Though not entirely sober and more than tipsy, he walked back to his apartment, and thankfully not having to converse with anyone for he feared he’d say the wrong thing (like he usually does).

 

Somehow in his drunken state, he had made it to his bed, which is where he woke up the next morning. He didn’t have too bad of a headache, but it wasn’t as nice as it could’ve been if there wasn’t one at all. Eren groaned, and reached for the bottle of painkillers he kept in his bedside table for emergencies like these.

Swallowing two, he made his way out of bed, stretching until his joints popped and he better. He made his way into the tiny kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water to relieve the dulling pounding of his head. After that, he grabbed a packaged cereal bar out of his cabinet before heading back to his bedroom to change. He had to be at work in just an hour, so he needed to dress quickly so he’d make it on time.

Once dressed in jeans and his shirt, he pulled on his shoes, half-hopping towards the door in his hurry to get out. He didn’t have a particular reason to hurry, since Hanji wouldn’t fire him for being late, but he formed a habit of hating to let people down. So he prefered to be early instead of late.

He took the stairs instead of the lift, and walked to the tube. His pace had mellowed, so he was going at a normal rate. In the train, he stood up as usual, one hand clutching the pole used for support.

When the doors opened at his stop, he exited and went up the stairs, stepping into the crisp air and heading due west to get to the little cafe he earned his keep at. Upon entering the doors, Hanji squealed, yelling at him, “you’re manning the till today!” He nodded and put on his apron, making sure his name tag was pinned.

Hours passed with him behind the register, taking orders and giving people their correct change. More than a few times he mixed up the notes, forgetting which currency he was using even after ten years. Christa was making the drinks, so he just had to scribble down a name and call it out when they were finished.

When his ten-hour shift was over, he hung his apron back up, bid his goodbyes to his coworkers before leaving. He retraced the steps he took to get to his workplace, before finally making it back to his apartment and collapsing on the couch. Though he hated to admit it, the job took more out of him than he’d like. As he lay there, contemplating what to do for the remainder of the day. As he did that, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He took it out, not expecting anyone to call him. Realizing that it was an unknown number, he began to get his hopes up that it might’ve been Levi. “Hello,“ he said into the receiver.

“Oi, brat,” came the voice that he only hear once before but had imprinted into his mind. He started to blush, despite the fact that the man had just called him a brat.

“Uh, hi, Levi,” he replied.

The man on the other end snorted, saying, “yeah, you’ve already said your hello’s. Anyways, I wanted to ask why did you think that you needed to leave your number for me?”

Eren felt his face burn; he was glad that the man on the end of the line couldn’t see it. He was sure his face was as red as an apple. “Uh, I just decided to. It wasn’t like I had any ulterior motive in mind for giving you it.”

Levi let out a low chuckle at that. “Are you sure it wasn’t because you wanted to see me more often?” The boy tried to protest, but it was to no avail. “Anyways,” the man continued, “I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out for dinner later on.”

It was blunt, but Eren already had that part of the man’s personality down. “Uh, sure,” he replied, a goofy smile taking up residence on his face.

“Good, I’ll come to your apartment around seven. Sound fine?”

“yeah, sounds perfect.” And with that, the two hung up and Eren fell back down on his sofa, letting a rather large smile take home on his face (one that was even bigger than his previous one).

 

When it was six, the boy decided that it’d be best to start getting ready. Realizing that he didn’t know where they were going, he picked up his phone and texted Levi.

 **Eren:** Where are we going?

The response was instantaneous.

 **Levi:** I’m not telling you. Dress casual.

Deciding that he would be able to get anything else out of the man, he left it at that and began to get ready, trying harder than he did most days. Picking out dark jeans and a maroon-coloured shirt, he chose a jean jacket to go over it, one that matched the shade of his pants. Determining that he looked good enough, he picked up a comb he kept for no real reason and pulled it through his hair, wincing as it snagged on some tangles. The result was tangle-free hair, but it still looked as messed up as it was prior to the combing.

He slipped his red Converse on and went to the living room, turning on the telly but not focusing on it. He was too busy trying to calm his nerves that bounced around in excitement. He didn’t exactly understand why he was so excited about this date - could he even call it a date? Not sure what exactly what it was, but knowing that it was going to happen, his nerves wouldn’t stop until there was a knock on his door.

He counted to five before crossing the room and opening the door. In front of him stood Levi, with an impassive expression on his face. Gray eyes connected with blue ones, before the latter looked away. The shorter man of the two rolled his eyes before saying, “c’mon, brat. Let’s go.” Not even offended by what Levi said, Eren followed him down the hall and to the lift.

Surprised that the boy didn’t object at the small space he was about to enter, Levi looked back at him and noticed that he had a goofy grin on his face. Making a noise of annoyance, he stepped inbot the compartment and pressed the button for the ground floor. Wiping his hand on his jeans, he waited impatiently for it to reach the floor (all the while wondering why he didn’t take the stairs; they were only on the second floor). When the door finally opened, he was the first to step out, not even looking behind him to see if the boy was following. But since he could hear another pair of footsteps beside his, he realised that he was so he didn’t bother to stop.

“Hurry up; we have people waiting for us.”

Eren felt sort of disappointed that it wasn’t just the two of them, before he realised that he had only talked to the man three times, counting the exchange that they had at his lift. Brushing off the feeling, he followed the shorter male to the tube station, trying not to give it another thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I've decided that I'm shit at connecting with a character's emotions when writing in third person, but I'm trying to change that throughout this fic. And be glad I've decided that I like this idea and want to work on it, hence the quick update (seriously, it can take me two months to update and my writing will still be sucky).
> 
> (I'm also shit at finding synonyms for "deciding.")

**Author's Note:**

> Not beta'd, because I never do. This kind of has a fast plot romance-wise, but the real plot develops slower (so I can shove characterisation down your throat). Also, tell me if I fucked up on the British words and stuff, since I'm half-certain I used "lift" too many times to count. Being American and aspiring to be British is hard, man.


End file.
